Household appraratus for storing bottles,notably bottles of wine that have been opened and/or partially consumed

ABSTRACT

This household apparatus ( 1 ) comprises a vacuum draught head ( 60, 62 ) for each bottle ( 2, 3 ), each head delimiting a suction passageway suitable for being connected to a vacuum source ( 6 ). In order to make the use of this apparatus extremely easy and fast, while obtaining a storage via the vacuum that is of good quality and stable over time, means ( 110 ) for moving each head mechanically guide the head relative to a frame ( 10 ) of the apparatus and press each head in sealed contact against the neck ( 4, 5 ) of the bottle so that its suction passageway emerges in the neck when the bottle occupies a predetermined position that is fixed relative to the frame.

The present invention relates to a household appliance for storing atleast one bottle containing a beverage and having a neck that is open,in particular a bottle of wine that has been uncorked and/or partiallyconsumed.

In order to preserve wine, or more generally any beverage, in an openbottle, it is well known that it is necessary to prevent the beveragefrom coming into contact with the oxygen of the air, since otherwise itstaste and organoleptic properties in particular will deterioraterapidly. Furthermore, it is preferable to keep the bottle at a giventemperature, depending on the quality of the wine, this temperaturegenerally being lower than room temperature in rooms that are occupiedon a daily basis.

In the field of professional wine service, in particular in restaurants,there exist appliances for this purpose that make use of a first pipethat opens out into the top portion of the bottle so as to apply acontinuous pressure of a gas that is inert, such as nitrogen, thispressure advantageously being used to drive wine out through a secondpipe so as to serve the wine without it being necessary to remove thesystem that supports the first and second pipes and that is fitted inleaktight manner to the neck of the bottle. Appliances of that kindrequire the second pipe to be immersed in the volume of wine down to thebottom of the bottle, such that the appliance must normally be cleanedeach time the bottle is changed. Such handling is time-consuming and inany event completely ill-suited to domestic use, which by definitionmust be simple and easy for a non-professional user. In addition, thecost of that kind of appliance remains high.

The invention thus applies to household appliances, i.e. to appliancesthat seek to increase comfort and make life easier at home, and inparticular it relates to household appliances for preservation purposes.In this field, a first known solution, derived from the above-mentionedprofessional solution, consists in injecting an inert and/or heavy gasinto an uncorked wine bottle prior to reclosing the bottle with itsoriginal cork. Using an inert gas requires the air that was previouslycontained in the bottle to be expelled therefrom, while using a heavygas does not require the entire bottle to be filled with the gas, sincethe presence of a “gas buffer” on the free surface of the wine suffices,in principle, to prevent the wine oxidizing. Once the bottle has beenrecorked, it is then stored in a cabinet or in a container, preferablyhaving its inside temperature adjusted to the quality of the wine storedin this way. It can be understood that the handling operations needed topreserve the wine in an open bottle are thus numerous and fiddly for theuser, and that they take a long time, which means that they areperceived as being similar to household chores, far removed from thepleasure a user seeks in having a good wine available for consumptionover several days.

Another known solution consists in using a suction head for evacuatingthe bottle, and in known appliances this is presented in the form of aspecial stopper incorporating a valve: after the special stopper hasbeen fitted to the neck of the bottle in which wine is to be preserved,the user actuates a vacuum pump, either manually or using electricalpower, so as to suck the air contained in the top portion of the bottleout through a passage that is defined in the special stopper. Once asatisfactory level of vacuum has been reached, the vacuum pump isseparated and the special stopper is left in place, with its valvepreventing outside air from penetrating into the top portion of thebottle. The bottle is then put away in a cabinet or a container, whichis preferably refrigerated. Evacuating the bottle thus avoids the needto make use of an inert and/or heavy gas, which would presentsignificant cost, which might not be harmless in terms of health andlong-term effects on the environment, and in any event which presents a“chemical” aspect that some users find unpleasant. In addition, in orderto reach a satisfactory level of vacuum inside the bottle, handling suchsuction heads can be particularly troublesome because of the length oftime it takes the user and because of the sealing difficulties involved.

Furthermore, both with appliances using inert and/or heavy gases andwith appliances that enable the bottle to be evacuated, the quality withwhich the wine is preserved generally falls off rapidly since, insofaras the free surface of the wine is greater inside a partially consumedbottle than in a full bottle, where the free surface of the wine is inthe neck, outside air tends naturally to be drawn back in through thestopper closing the bottle.

The object of the present invention is to propose a household appliancefor storing at least one uncorked bottle, which appliance is extremelyeasy and quick to use, while guaranteeing high quality preservation thatis stable over time.

To this end, the invention provides a household appliance for preservinga beverage contained in at least one bottle that has already beenopened, such as an uncorked bottle of wine, the appliance being asdefined in claim 1.

The idea underlying the invention is to seek great simplification in thehandling that a user needs to perform, so that the user needs to performonly the natural and agreeable actions of taking hold of an openedbottle and pouring out the liquid it contains, where necessary severaltimes over, and then placing the bottle in or returning it to apredetermined location in which the appliance in accordance with theinvention guarantees that the liquid remaining in the bottle ispreserved. For this purpose, the idea on which the invention is based isto avoid any need for the user to move the neck of the bottle manuallyup to the suction head for evacuating the bottle, by making provisionfor this movement to take place automatically, or at least for it to beassisted by the appliance, by virtue of its means for moving the suctionhead. In practice, the head is mounted to be movable relative to thecase of the appliance, with the path followed by the head in movementbeing predetermined so that when the user places or returns the openedbottle in a predetermined stationary location relative to the case, theabove-mentioned means for moving the head guide it effectively to theneck of the bottle, regardless of the height of the bottle. Furthermore,the above means for moving the head are designed, in accordance with theinvention, to press and hold the head against the neck of the bottle soas to guarantee good sealing between the head and the neck. A vacuum canthen pass effectively through the suction passage defined by the head soas to evacuate the bottle, i.e. reduce its inside pressure to a levelthat is satisfactory for preserving the liquid it contains. Typically,in order to preserve wine, the level of the vacuum needs to reach morethan 0.1 bar less than atmospheric pressure. In addition, the way thesemeans for moving the head press the head in leaktight manner against theneck of the bottle is reproducible and stable over time, therebyguaranteeing a high level of preservation for the liquid contained inthe bottle.

In practice, actuating the vacuum source, such as a vacuum pump, andacquiring the means for moving the head, in particular the portion ofsaid means linked to move with the head, can be controlled in differentways. Advantageously, user participation in these actions is minimal,the user doing no more, for example, than to press directly on a switch,or to close a door, the door co-operating with the case to define acompartment for storing the bottle, and the compartment preferably beingrefrigerated, or to apply a very simple drive force to the head, e.g.pushing it downwards. Sensors for identifying the presence of a bottlein its predetermined position relative to the case may even be providedfor controlling the above-mentioned actions, thereby further reducingthe contribution of the user in said actions. In any event, it will beunderstood that once these actions have started, the user can move awayquickly from the appliance in accordance with the invention, since theappliance can advantageously move the head automatically until it makesleaktight contact against the neck of the bottle and then, likewiseautomatically, it can evacuate the bottle without any need for the userto take further action. In other words, the appliance of the inventionoperates, at least to a large extent, in time while the user can bedoing something else.

Additional characteristics of the appliance of the invention that areadvantageous taken in isolation or in any technical feasible combinationare specified in dependent claims 2 to 15.

The invention can be better understood on reading the followingdescription given purely by way of example and made with reference tothe drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic front elevation view of an appliance inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the FIG. 1 appliance, withseveral components thereof omitted from FIG. 2 for reasons of clarity;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary diagrammatic section on line of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a refrigerator element of the appliance,shown on its own;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a vacuum suction head forming part ofthe appliance of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 6 to 8 are diagrammatic sections of the head on the plane VImarked in FIG. 5, showing three different respective configurations ofuse of the head within the appliance;

FIG. 9 is a view analogous to FIG. 1 of a variant appliance inaccordance with the invention;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrammatic sections on line XI-XI marked in FIG.1, relating to another variant embodiment of the appliance in accordancewith the invention;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an appliance inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the FIG. 11 appliance withsome of the components thereof omitted to enable the inside of theappliance to be observed;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary section on plane XIII of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is an elevation view seen looking along XIV of FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view from a viewing angle different from thatof FIGS. 11 and 12, showing a portion only of the appliance, andincluding in particular one of its vacuum suction heads;

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary section on XVI-XVI of FIG. 14, showing the FIG.15 portion of the appliance mounted in a utilization configurationdifferent from that shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a refrigerator element of the applianceof FIGS. 11 to 16, shown on its own; and

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary diagrammatic section of the FIG. 17refrigerator element, analogous to FIG. 3.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a household appliance 1 for conserving two bottles ofwine 2 and 3. Each bottle 2, 3 includes a neck 4, 5 at its top endenabling the wine to be taken, i.e. enabling the wine contained in thebottle to be poured out therefrom. The necks 4 and 5 are uncorked, i.e.they do not have their own stoppers, typically made of cork, that serveoriginally to keep the bottle closed in leaktight manner to enable it tobe transported from a bottling site to an uncorking site where theconsumer removes the original cork, in order to consume the winecontained in the bottle.

The appliance 1 comprises a case 10 for storing bottles 2 and 3. In theexample shown in the figures, the case advantageously presents anoutside shape that is generally cylindrical, on a circular base andcentered on a vertical axis X-X. The inside volume of the case 10 issubdivided into two main sub-volumes, considered as being locatedrespectively at the front and at the rear, it being understood that whenthe appliance 1 is in normal operation, the front sub-volume facestowards the user while the rear sub-volume 12 faces the other way. Thesefront and rear sub-volumes are separated from each other by a verticalpartition 14 permanently incorporated in the case 10 and extending in adiametral plane thereof, i.e. in a plane containing the axis X-X. Thefront sub-volume is thus defined, at its rear, by the partition 14,towards the top, by a ceiling wall 16, and towards the bottom by a floorwall 18. In addition, the front sub-volume is subdivided into twolateral compartments, respectively a left compartment 20 and a rightcompartment 22 as seen by the user looking at the appliance 1 from infront. For this purpose, the compartments 20 and 22 are separated by avertical partition 24 lying in a diametral plane of the case 10, andforming a plane of symmetry for the compartments 20 and 22 in thisexample. On its side remote from the partition 24, the compartment 20 isclosed by a side wall 26 which, in this example, corresponds to aportion of the cylindrical shape of the case 10. Symmetrically about thepartition 24, the side wall 28 closes the right compartment on its sideremote from the partition 24.

The compartments 20 and 22 are dimensioned to receive respective ones ofthe bottles 2 and 3 in a vertical configuration, with their bottomsbearing in stable manner on the floor wall 18 and their necks 4, 5directed towards the ceiling wall 16. For this purpose, at the front ofthe case 10, the partition 24 and the walls 16 and 18 define firstly inco-operation with the wall 26 an opening 30 giving access to thecompartment 20 for the bottle 2, and secondly in co-operation with thewall 28 an opening 32 giving access to the compartment 22 for the bottle3.

In optional but preferred manner, the compartments 20 and 22 arerefrigerated, i.e. they are associated with refrigerator means adaptedto lower the temperatures inside the compartments compared with ambienttemperature outside the case 10. The refrigerator means may be of anyknown type, and preferably, as shown, it is in the form of a singlePeltier element 34, i.e. a single thermoelectric element suitable forconverting electrical energy into a flow of heat. As shown in FIGS. 1,3, and 4, the Peltier element 34 comprises a main body 36 generally inthe form of a rectangular block and permanently fastened to thepartition 14, passing through it and extending over substantially theentire horizontal dimension thereof. In a manner that is not shown inthe figures, the body 36 contains thermoelectric components suitable forgenerating a flow of heat between the cold front face 38 and the hotrear face 40 of the body 36. For this purpose, each of its faces 38 and40 is constituted by an air heat exchanger, in particular in the form ofa metal radiator structure.

On its rear face 40, the body 36 is fitted with a fan unit 42 that stirsthe air in the rear sub-volume 12. On its front face 38, the body 36 hastwo fan units 44 and 46, serving to stir the air contained in thecompartments 20 and 22, respectively. For this purpose, the front face38 is split in its middle portion by a vertical groove for receiving thepartition 24, as can clearly be seen in FIG. 3. In operation, thepartition 24 thus isolates the compartments 20 and 22 thermally fromeach other.

By having bottles 2 and 3 that contain respective wines having differentqualities, associated with respective different preservationtemperatures in storage, the structure of the Peltier element 34presents a particular advantage. Since the compartments 20 and 22 thenneed to present different internal temperatures, the thermal stresses onthe front face 38 of the element 34 are asymmetrical on opposite sidesof the partition 24. In other words, assuming by way of example that thecompartment 20 needs to be refrigerated more than the compartment 22,then the portion of the front face 38 carrying the fan unit 44 isstressed thermally to a greater extent than the portion of said face 38carrying the fan unit 46. This leads to large refrigeration capacity forthe compartment 20, in particular to refrigeration capacity that isgreater than that that would be obtained by a standard Peltier elementhaving only one fan on its cold side, for constant electricityconsumption.

To maintain substantially constant temperatures in the compartments 20and 22, the case 10 is fitted with two movable doors 50 and 52. Eachdoor 50 and 52 is movable relative to the case between a position whereit closes the corresponding opening 30, 32, as shown for the rightcompartment 22 in FIGS. 1 and 2, and an open position where it releasesaccess to the opening, as shown for the left compartment 20 in thefigures. Advantageously, as can clearly be seen in FIG. 2 where numerouscomponents of the appliance including the Peltier element 34 are omittedfor reasons of clarity, each door 50, 52 is generally in the form of aportion of a cylinder that matches the cylindrical outside shape of thecase 10 and that is centered on the axis X-X. As a result, each door 50,52 is mounted on the case 10 so as to pass between its closed and openpositions by moving generally in rotation about the axis X-X. Thismovement in rotation is represented by an arrow 54 for the door 50passing from its open position towards its closed position, whereas thedoor 52 passing from its closed position to its open position isrepresented by an arrow 56.

Each compartment 20, 22 is fitted internally with a head 60, 62 makingit possible, as explained in greater detail below, to evacuate thecorresponding bottle 2,3, i.e. to extract a large fraction of the airpresent in the top portion of the bottle, between the free surface ofthe wine it contains and the top end of its neck 4, 5. The heads 60 and62 are identical to each other, the head 60 being shown in greaterdetail in FIGS. 5 to 8, such that only the head 60 is described indetail below, it being understood that the head 62 presents the samearrangement.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the head 60 comprises a main tubular body 64of longitudinal central axis Z-Z that extends vertically, in operation.At its bottom end, the body 64 is surrounded by an outer edge 66extended in diametrically opposite directions relative to the axis Z-Zby two horizontal branches 68. The top end of the body 64 forms a tube70 for connection to a flexible hose 72 (FIGS. 1 and 2) connected at itsend remote from the head 60 to an electrically-driven vacuum pump 6. Thehose connecting the head 62 to the same vacuum pump 6 is referenced 74in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the figures, the vacuum pump 6 is shown in highlydiagrammatic manner for the purpose of understanding the invention, itbeing understood that in practice it is arranged and hidden in the rearsub-volume 12 of the case 10 where it is powered electrically.

In its main portion, the body 64 is provided internally with a valve 76that is permanently fitted, e.g. by screwing an outside thread of thevalve into inside tapping of the body 64. The valve 76 is a commerciallyavailable component and it is not shown in detail in the figures, itbeing specified that it is partially hollowed so as to put its top andbottom ends into fluid flow communication therethrough when used underspecific conditions described in detail below.

The head 60 also includes a base 78 arranged essentially beneath thebody 64 and presenting a generally tubular shape, centered on the axisZ-Z. The bottom end of this base 78 is shaped as a truncated cone,thereby defining a frustoconical outside structure 80 centered on theaxis Z-Z and flaring towards the body 64.

In its main portion, the base 78 is provided with an annular outsideflange 82 extending around the entire periphery of the base. On itsbottom side, the flange 82 is permanently secured to a flat gasket 84centered on the axis Z-Z, with the top end of the frustoconical surface80 terminating thereat. On its top side, the flange 82 is provided withan O-ring 86 centered on the axis Z-Z and fitted around the tubular bodyof the base 78.

At its top end, the flange 82 is also provided, in permanent manner,with two vertical pegs 88 that are diametrically opposite about the axisZ-Z. The pegs 88 enable the base 78 to be assembled to the body 64, andfor this purpose they are slidably received in two complementary holes90 passing vertically through the branches 78. The base 78 is thusmovable in translation along the axis Z-Z relative to the body 64, byeach peg 88 slidably co-operating with its hole 90. The movements intranslation between the body 64 and the base 78 are limited, downwards,by the flange 82 against which the bottom faces of the branches 78 cancome into abutment, and, upwards, by screws 92 permanently fastened tothe top ends of the pegs 88 and having heads that can come into abutmentagainst the top faces of the branches 78, with respective washers beinginterposed therebetween.

The base 78 is thus movable relative to the body 64 between a lowextreme position shown in FIG. 6 in which the base and the body arespaced apart from each other, with the top end of the base beingreceived in non-leaktight manner in the bottom opening of the body 64,and a high extreme position shown in FIG. 7 in which the base and thebody press vertically one against the other, with the O-ring 86 beinginterposed between them, thereby sealing the connection between the topopening of the base 78 and the bottom opening of the body 64. In thishigh position, the bottom end of the valve 76 presses against ahorizontal bridge of material 94 extending across the top opening of thebase 78, such that via internal arrangements of the valve 76 that arenot shown, the central through orifice 96 of the body 64 is put intofluid flow communication via the valve with the through central orifice98 in the base 78. These two orifices 96 and 98 then form an air suctionpassage 100 between the bottom end of the base 78 and the top end of thebody 64. In the low position of the base 78, the bottom end of the valve76 is spaced apart from the bridge 94, such that by means of theabove-mentioned internal arrangements, the valve 76 isolates theorifices 96 and 98 hermetically from each other, which amounts toclosing the passage 100.

The appliance 1 also includes mechanical means 110 for moving the head60 relative to the case 10, and shown in FIG. 1 but not in FIG. 2. Inpractice, the means 110 are duplicated for moving the respective heads60 and 62 independently of each other, it being understood that each setof means 110 presents a structure that is identical, being arranged in arespective one of the compartments 20 and 22. The means 110 associatedwith the compartment 20 are described in detail below, it beingunderstood that the means 110 associated with the compartment 22 areconstituted by the same components as those described below and aregiven the same numerical references in the figures.

As shown in FIG. 1, the means 110 comprise a horizontal bar 112 havingits longitudinal ends received in respective vertical slideways 114 and116, that are fastened respectively to the wall 26 and to the partition24. Co-operation between the longitudinal ends of the bar 112 and theseslideways 114 and 116 enables the bar 112 to be guided verticallyrelative to the case 10.

In order to drive the bar 112 mechanically relative to the case 10, themeans 110 include movement transmission elements between the bar and thecorresponding door 50. In particular, in the embodiment described, thesetransmission elements are designed to transform the rotary movement ofthe door 50 about the axis X-X between its open and closed positionsinto vertical movement in translation. For this purpose, theabove-mentioned transmission elements include, for example, a verticalwormscrew 118: that is driven in rotation about its axis by the door 50;that meshes with a tapped nut 120 secured to the case 10; and that hasone end secured to the bar 112. As a result, when the door 50 goes fromits open position to its closed position, the screw 118 moves intranslation so as to move the bar 112 from a high position, as shown inthe compartment 20, to a low position, as shown in the compartment 22.Conversely, when the door 50 goes from its closed position to its openposition, the bar 112 is moved from its low position to its highposition, because the transmission of movement by the screw 118 isreversible. Naturally, other embodiments of the transmission elementscan be envisaged.

The means 110 for moving the head further include two vertical rods 130and 132 connecting the bar 112 to the head 60. Each rod 130, 132 ismounted to slide vertically both through the bar 112 and through one ofthe branches 68 of the body 64. Means for stopping movement intranslation, such as clips 134, prevent each rod from disengagingdownwards from the bar 112 and from disengaging upwards from thebranches 68. The bar 112 and the body 64 are normally spaced apartvertically from each other by a spring 136 interposed between them,advantageously being arranged around one of the rods 130 and 132.

There follows a description of how the appliance 1 is used.

Initially, it is assumed that the compartment 20 is empty, with thecorresponding door 50 open. The user who has uncorked the bottle 2 andhas consumed only a fraction of the wine it contained, places the bottlemanually in the compartment 20, vertically under the head 60. The useris advantageously assisted in appropriately positioning the bottlerelative to the head by an element 140 that is secured to the case 10and that is shaped for this purpose. In the embodiment shown in thefigures, this positioning element 140 is in the form of a fork with thebottle 2 being inserted between the front ends of its branches, therebybeing progressively centered between the branches when the user pushesthe bottle rearwards, until it comes into abutment against the end wherethe branches meet each other, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In thispredetermined stationary position for the bottle 2, the neck 4 issituated vertically beneath the base 78 of the head 60, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 6.

After letting go the bottle 2, which remains in stable manner with itsbottom standing on the floor wall 18, the user causes the door 50 to gointo its closed position. In practice, the user pushes the doormanually, in particular using the same hand as was previously used forputting the bottle in the compartment 20, or in a variant the userpresses a finger of that hand on a switch for controlling motor drive,in particular electrical drive of the door 50. The door thus goes fromits open position to its closed position by moving in rotation about theaxis X-X, as represented by arrow 54. This rotary movement istransmitted to the bar 112, in particular by the screw 118, whichconverts it into downward movement in translation, thereby moving saidbar from its high position to its low position. This downward movementin translation of the bar 112 is transmitted by the spring 136 to thebody 64 of the head 60, as represented by arrows 150 in FIGS. 2 and 6.The downward movement of the body 64 causes the base 78 to move incorresponding manner by the inside faces of the branches 68 bearingagainst the top face of the flange 82, until the base 78 is pressedagainst the neck 4 of the bottle 2, as shown in FIG. 7. More precisely,when the base 78 comes into the immediate vicinity of the neck 4, itsfrustoconical surface 80 penetrates vertically downwards inside the neckso that by sliding contact between said surface 80 and the inside faceof the neck, the neck becomes progressively centered relative to thehead 60, i.e. its longitudinal axis tends to become aligned with theaxis Z-Z. In the configuration of FIG. 7, the head 60 and the bottle 2are thus centered one relative to the other, with the gasket 84vertically interposed and squeezed between the neck 4 and the flange 82of the base 78.

It should be understood that the spring 136 presents considerablestiffness, in the sense that it transmits the downward drive forcebetween the bar 112 and the body 64 so as to press the base 78 firmlyagainst the neck 4, without itself being significantly compressed. Whereappropriate, the downward movement of the rods 130 and 132 may continue,particularly so long as the door 50 has not reached its closed position.The spring 136 then compresses to accommodate the extra stroke of thebar 112 relative to the base 78. The head 60 is thus effectively putinto place on the neck 4 regardless of the height of the bottle 2, i.e.the vertical distance between the top end of its neck and the floor wall18. The appliance 1 thus automatically handles bottles of differentheights.

As explained above, in the FIG. 7 configuration, the valve 76 opens thesuction passage 100. By then actuating the vacuum pump 6, the aircontained in the top portion of the bottle 2 is sucked out through thispassage, as represented by arrows 152 in FIG. 7, so that the top of thebottle is evacuated. In practice, the level of vacuum achieved in thebottle, compared with atmospheric pressure, needs to be greater than 0.1bar, so as to be situated around 0.3 bar.

It could also be observed that the vacuum pump 6 may advantageously beactuated under the control of the door 50, in particular when the doorreaches its closed position, as identified by an end-of-stroke switchthat is electrically connected to the pump. In a variant, the pump maybe controlled by means of sensors that detect the opposition to downwardmovement of the head 60 when it presses against the neck 4.

It can be understood that the user does not need to wait for a vacuum tobecome established in the bottle 2 in the sense that once the user hasset closure of the door 50 into operation, the user is free to go awayfrom the appliance 1 to do something else.

The bottle 2 is then effectively stored by the appliance 1 with its head60 being held firmly in leaktight manner against the neck 4 by the means110. Optionally, the vacuum pump 6 is reactivated on a regular basis.Preservation by the bottle is further improved by cooling the atmosphereinside the compartment 20.

When the user desires to consume the wine remaining in the bottle 2, theuser opens the door 50, either by moving it manually or by operating aswitch to cause it to be moved by an associated motor. The movement ofthe door in rotation about the axis X-X from its closed position to itsopen position, in the opposite direction to arrow 54, causes the bar 112to be driven upwards, as represented by arrows 154 in FIG. 8. Initially,and where necessary after decompressing the over-stroke spring 136, thebody 64 is driven upwards by the bar 112 by means of the rods 130 and132 without the base 78 being driven upwards correspondingly, as shownin FIG. 8. As explained above, the valve 76 then closes while theoutside air goes around the O-ring 86 to penetrate into the orifice 98and thus reestablish pressure inside the bottle 2, as represented byarrows 156 in FIG. 8. As a result, raising the head 60 does not lead tothe bottle 2 being raised correspondingly by a suction cup effect, and avacuum is maintained in the hoses 72 and 74, and also in the bottle 3.

Continuing its upward movement, the bar 112 acts via the rods 130 and132 to move the body 64 upwards, and then, when the top faces on thebranches 68 come into abutment against the heads of the screws 92, itmoves the base 78 upwards. The head 60 is thus driven upwards so as toreturn to its initial configuration. The user can then take hold of thebottle 2 and extract it from the compartment 20.

FIG. 9 shows a variant of the appliance 1 which differs from that ofFIGS. 1 to 8 only in the shape of its means 160 for moving each head 60,62 relative to the case 10, as a replacement for the means 110. As shownin FIG. 9, these means 160 comprise, for each compartment 20, 22, apneumatic actuator 162 having its stationary portion 164 secured to thecase, e.g. to the ceiling wall 16, and its moving rod 166 secured to thebar 112. The advantage of this variant is that each actuator 162 can becontrolled by the vacuum pump 6, its stationary portion 164 beingconnected to the pump via a specific duct 168 and incorporating a returnspring that is not shown in the figures. In practice, the actuators 162may advantageously be actuated under the control of the opening/closingaction of the doors 50 and 52.

FIGS. 10A and 10B show another variant 170 of the means for moving eachhead 60, 62 relative to the case 10 of the appliance 1. Instead ofproviding mechanical or pneumatic drive for the bar 112, as with theabove-described means 110 and 160, a compression spring 172 isinterposed vertically between the bar 112 and the case 10, in particularits ceiling 16. This spring 172 is suitable for being compressed by theuser on inserting the bottle 2 in the compartment 20, by bringing theneck 4 of the bottle around the surface 80 of the head 60. The case 10is dimensioned so that the user is obliged to compress the spring 172 inorder to be able to place the bottom of the bottle so that it pressesagainst the floor wall 18. For this purpose, and as shown in FIG. 10A,the user inserts the bottle 2 into the compartment 20 at an angleinclined relative to the vertical, and then while moving the bottleupwards to compress the spring 172, as represented by arrow 174, theuser also tilts it towards the rear, as represented by arrow 176, so asto cause it to stand up vertically. Once the bottle is thus standingvertically with its bottom resting on the floor wall 18, the spring 172expands partially, as represented by arrow 178, while continuing to keepthe head 60 pressed in leaktight manner against the neck 4, as shown inFIG. 10B.

The bottle 2 is extracted by acting in the opposite manner, it beingobserved that the need to tilt the bottom of the bottle forwardsrelative to the neck 4 makes it easier for air to return into the neckand thus limits the suction cup effect.

FIGS. 11 to 18 show another example of a household appliance 201 thatdiffers from the appliance 1 described above, and that also enables twobottles of wine to be conserved, analogous to the bottles 2 and 3described above. The appliance 201 comprises a case 210 for storingthese bottles, and unlike the case 10 of the appliance 1, it presents anoutside shape that is more complex than a cylindrical shape, therebyillustrating the multiplicity of case shapes that are covered by thepresent invention. Overall, and using the same conventions fordirections as used above for the case 10, the inside volume of the case210 is subdivided into a rear sub-volume (not shown in the figures) anda front sub-volume that is itself subdivided into a left compartment 220and a right compartment 222. As can clearly be seen in FIGS. 12 and 13,the compartments 220 and 222 are separated by a vertical partition 224extending from a floor wall 218 to a ceiling wall 216 along anintermediate partition 214 between the rear and front sub-volumes. Thecompartments 220 and 222 are closed on their sides remote from thepartition 224 by respective side walls 226 and 228, and in front byrespective doors 250 and 252. In FIG. 12, the door 252 and the bottles 2and 3 are omitted for reasons of visibility.

Each compartment 220, 222 is associated with a suction head 260, 262 forevacuating a bottle. As in the appliance 1, the heads 260 and 262 of theappliance 201 are identical to each other, the head 260 being shown ingreater detail in FIGS. 15 and 16.

In the same manner as the compartments 20 and 22 of the appliance 1, thecompartments 220 and 222 are dimensioned to enable the respectivebottles 2 and 3 to gain access thereto and to stand vertically therein,with their bottoms bearing stably against the floor wall 218. This floorwall 218 optionally presents an arrangement that could also beimplemented in the appliance 1 and that consists in shaping the top faceof the wall 218 with concave spherical cap-shaped depressions 218A and218B associated with the compartments 220 and 222 respectively. As canbe seen clearly in FIG. 13, each depression 218A, 218B presents an axisof revolution X_(A)-X_(A), X_(B)-X_(B) that is substantially vertical.The geometrical center C_(A), C_(B) of each depression 218A, 218B issituated in the zone occupied by the neck 4, 5 of the bottle 2, 3 whenit is standing on the floor wall 218. In other words, the radius ofcurvature of each depression is substantially equal to the height of thebottles 2 and 3. In this way, if the bottle is not put down centrallyabout the axis X_(A)-X_(A) or X_(B)-X_(B), as shown for the bottle 2 inFIG. 13, then the bottle bears against the depression 218A, 218B in amanner that is inclined a little relative to the above-mentioned axissuch that its neck 4, 5 is substantially generally centered on thecenter C_(A), C_(B). Thus, whatever the exact position of the bottle 2,3 on the depression 218A, 218B, the neck 4, 5 of the bottle occupies thesame position relative to the case 210, so that the correspondingsuction head 260, 262, described in detail below, is capable ofco-operating therewith in effective and reliable manner. In particular,by providing for the axes X_(A)-X_(A) and X_(B)-X_(B) to besubstantially in alignment with the respective central axes Z-Z of theheads 260 and 262, each head can be pressed against the correspondingbottle in effective manner, regardless of the exact position of thebottle on the corresponding depression 218A, 218B.

As shown in detail in FIG. 16, the head 260 comprises a main tubularbody 264 of substantially vertical longitudinal central axis Z-Z. In itsintermediate portion, the body 264 is provided internally with ahorizontal wall 266 that occupies a diametral plane of the body. Thiswall 266 is provided with vertical arms 268 projecting downwards fromthe bottom face of the wall 266, these arms 268 being distributed inregular manner around the axis Z-Z. The top end of the body 264 forms atube 270 for connection to a flexible hose 272 having its end remotefrom the head 260 connected to a vacuum pump analogous to the vacuumpump 6 described with reference to the appliance 1. For convenience,this pump is likewise referenced 6 for the appliance 201, as can be seenin FIG. 15, it being understood that this pump can be arranged in thesame manner as described above for the appliance 1.

In its main portion the body 264 is provided internally with a valve 276analogous to the above-described valve 76.

The head 260 also includes a base 278 essentially arranged beneath thebody 264 and presenting a generally tubular shape centered on the axisZ-Z.

The bottom end of the base 278 is shaped analogously to the base 78,i.e. as a truncated cone, thereby defining a frustoconical outsidesurface 280 centered on the axis Z-Z and diverging towards the body 264,with the same advantages as those explained above for the appliance 1.

The base 278 is provided on the outside with two annular rims extendingaround the entire periphery of the base, namely a bottom rim 282 and atop rim 283. A compression spring 285 is interposed along the directionof the axis Z-Z between the rim 282 and the wall 266. The rim 283 isadapted to bear downwards against the free ends of the arms 268, underdrive from the spring 285, thereby tending to move the base 278downwards relative to the body 264.

At its bottom end, the base 278 is permanently secured to an essentiallyflat gasket 284 centered on the axis Z-Z and at which the top of thefrustoconical surface 280 terminates. Unlike the gasket 84 of theappliance 1, having its entire top face in contact with the base 78,substantially all of the top face of the gasket 284 is spaced apart fromthe base 278, thereby leaving between them a non-negligible axial space,except at the central portion of the gasket. In this way, by making thegasket 284 out of elastic material, the gasket forms a flexible lipsuitable for being deformed to a greater or lesser extend around itsperiphery by the top end face of the neck 4, 5 of the bottle 2, 3 whenthe head 260, 262 is pressed in leaktight manner against the neck. Thisshaping of the gasket 284 as a flexible sealing lip enables the heads260 and 262 to adapt to the various diameters of bottle necks withoutdegrading the quality of the leaktight contact in operation between saidheads and the bottle necks.

An O-ring 286 centered on the axis Z-Z is interposed between the top endface of the base 278 and the wall 266 of the body 264. In the embodimentshown in the figures, the O-ring 286 is fastened to the bottom face ofthe wall 266, being received in a complementary groove. The O-ring 286is functionally analogous to the O-ring 86 of the heads 60 and 62 of theappliance 1.

In the same manner as the base 78 being movable relative to the body 64in the heads 60 and 62 of the appliance 1, the base 278 is movablerelative to the body 264 between a low extreme position, shown in FIG.16, in which the base and the body are spaced apart from each otherunder the action of the compression spring 285, and a high extremeposition (not shown) in which the base and the body are pressedvertically one against the other with the O-ring 286 interposed betweenthem, thereby sealing the connection between the bottom opening of thebody 264 and the top opening of the base 278. The valve 276 acts in thesame manner as the valve 76: in the above-mentioned high position, thethrough central orifices 296 and 298, respectively defined by the body264 and the base 278, are put into fluid flow communication through thevalve and then form an air suction passage 300 between the bottom andtop ends of the head 260, 262, whereas in the above-mentioned lowposition, the valve 276 isolates the orifices 296 and 298 hermeticallyfrom each other, thereby closing the passage 300.

Furthermore, compared with the means 110, 160, or 170 for moving theheads 60 and 62 in the appliance 1, the appliance 201 has other means310 for moving each of the heads 260 and 262 relative to the case 210.Each head 260, 262 is thus associated with a cylindrical housing 312centered on the axis Z-Z. The body 264 of the head 260 or 262 is locatedinside the housing 312, being pressed in abutment against a bottom endinternal rim 313 by a compression spring 336 interposed between the wall266 of the body 264 and a top end portion of the housing 312. Eachhousing 312 is assembled to the case 210 so as to be movable in avertical direction. In the embodiment described, each housing 312 isslidingly received in a vertical sheath 314 secured to the sealing wall216. Each sheath presents an inside diameter that matches the outsidediameter of the housing 312, so as to guide the cylinder effectively asit moves relative to the case 210.

In addition, at its rear side, each cylinder 312 is permanently providedwith a rack 318 meshing with a toothed wheel 320 carried by the end of ashaft 322 supported by the top side of the ceiling wall 216. Theopposite end of the shaft 322 carries a toothed wheel 324 meshing with ahorizontal rack 326. The rack 326 is supported by the top side of theceiling wall 216 so as to move in horizontal translation between frontand back. A traction spring 328 is interposed between the rack 326 and astationary portion of the ceiling wall 216 so that when the housing 312is moved downwards in translation, its movement is transmitted to thespring 328 successively via the wheel 320, the shaft 322, the wheel 324,and the rack 326, thereby tensioning the spring 328. In other words, thespring 328 tends to hold the housing 312 mechanically in a positionwhere it is moved in translation upwards relative to the case 210.

In order to keep the housing 312 in a position in which it has beenmoved in translation downwards, i.e. in order to counter the action ofthe spring 328, the case 210 is provided, for each housing 312, with arocker arm 330 having one end 331 inserted by a compression spring 332in a complementary notch 334 defined in the top portion of the housing312, as can clearly be seen in FIG. 15.

The appliance 201 is used in a manner that is substantially analogous tothe appliance 1. Below, the description relates more particularly to thedifferences in the way the two appliances are used.

Initially, it is assumed for example that the compartment 220 is empty,with its corresponding door 250 open. The user places the bottle 2manually in the compartment 220, causing it to rest on the depression218A, with the neck 4 of the bottle thus being substantially centered onthe center C_(A) regardless of any tilt the bottle might have relativeto the axis Z-Z, as explained above. The head 260 and its housing 312are then configured relative to the case 210 and the bottle 1 in themanner shown in FIG. 16.

Thereafter, the user causes the door 250 to take up its closed position,and then pushes the housing 312 manually downwards as represented byarrow 350 in FIG. 16. This downward movement in translation of thehousing 312 is transmitted by the spring 336 to the body 264 of the head260, the body in turn entraining the base 278 by the downward movementin translation being transmitted by the spring 285, until said base ispressed against the neck 4 of the bottle 2, as described in detail abovefor the head 60 of the appliance 1.

The user continues moving the housing 312 downwards until the end 331 ofthe arm 330 is inserted in the notch 334 under drive from the spring332. The arm 330 thus holds the housing 312 in its position where it ismoved downwardly in translation relative to the case 210, as shown inFIGS. 11 to 13. The spring 336 compresses to accommodate thecorresponding extra stroke of the housing 312 relative to the base 278.

By then actuating the vacuum pump 6, the air contained in the topportion of the bottle 2 is sucked out through the passage 300 so thatthe bottle is evacuated. In practice, actuation of the vacuum pump 6 maybe controlled in the various manners mentioned above for the appliance1.

When the user desires to consume the wine remaining in the bottle 2, theuser opens the door 250. Advantageously, moving the door to its openposition causes the arm 330 to be disengage automatically from the notch334 by means of a cam 338 linked to the door. If such an arrangement isnot provided, then the user needs to tilt the arm 330 under manualcontrol, e.g. by means of a button (not shown) that is easily accessibleto one of the user's fingers when the door 250 is open. The spring 328then relaxes, driving the housing 312 upwards successively via the rack326, the wheel 324, the shaft 322, the wheel 320, and the rack 318. Theappliance 210 is then in the initial configuration described above.

Comparing the way the appliances 1 and 201 are used shows that with theappliance 1, the movement of the heads 60 and 62 is mechanically coupledto opening and closing the doors 50 and 52, whereas with the appliance201, the movement of the heads 260 and 262 is decoupled from the openingand closing of the doors 250 and 252, except concerning possibleautomatic unlocking of the housing 312 by drive from the optional cams338.

FIGS. 17 and 18 show the refrigerator means of the appliance 201 indetail, it being understood that these refrigerator means could bearranged in the appliance 1 instead of the Peltier element 34. In thisembodiment, the refrigerator means are in the form of a double Peltierelement 234. More precisely, two Peltier main bodies 236 and 237 aresecured side by side permanently to the partition 214, and they passthrough said partition. Each cold front face 238, 239 of the bodies 236and 237 is fitted with a respective fan unit 244, 246, the partition 224being arranged between them. Advantageously, the hot rear faces 240 and241 of the bodies 236 and 237 are fitted with a common fan unit 242.

Using a double Peltier element 234 presents a genuine advantage inlimiting electricity consumption when the two compartments 220 and 222need to present different internal temperatures. Under suchcircumstances, it may suffice to power only one of the two bodies 236and 237 electrically, i.e. the body that is associated with thecompartment that is to have the lower temperature. The low temperatureproduced in that compartment then tends to spread into the othercompartment through the partition 224, and by stirring the air with thefan unit 224 or 246 in the warmer compartment, the temperature desiredfor that compartment may be reached without it being necessary to powerthe corresponding Peltier element body electrically.

It is possible to envisage various modifications and variants for theabove-described appliances 1 and 201. By way of example:

the doors 50 and 52 or 250 and 252 may present shapes other than thoseshown in the figures, while being suitable for being moved in a varietyof ways, it being possible, for example, for them to be swing doors,lift doors, sliding doors, telescopic doors, etc.;

in a simplified version of the appliance 1 or 201, the appliance neednot have its own refrigerator means such as the Peltier element 34 orthe double Peltier element 234, and need not have its doors 50 and 52 or250 and 252, so that it does not have bottle storage compartments; undersuch circumstances, the movements of the suction heads 60 and 62 or 260and 262 are controlled by actuation taking the place of opening andclosing the doors, in particular by actuating specific control meanscarried by the case 10 or 210, the case then presenting the simplifiedshape of a bracket for supporting the heads and the means for movingthem;

in another version, the appliance 1 may be incorporated inside a cabinetfor storing bottles, in particular wine bottles; the case 10 is thenincorporated in a specific zone of the inside volume of the cabinet,preferably in the optionally curved inside portion of the door thatgives access to said internal volume; thus, if the door is transparent,the user can see directly and clearly the or each bottle that has itsneck engaged in one of the suction heads: the vacuum is provided by apump situated outside the cabinet, e.g. in a compartment dedicated tothe compressor for the cold circuit of the cabinet, and it is taken tothe head by one or more ducts internal to the cabinet, and located inpart in the hinge region of the door; under such circumstances, theheads are preferably driven by the vacuum, as in the embodiment of FIG.9, so as to avoid providing a supply of electricity in the door of thecabinet, thereby limiting safety risks associated with an electric cordbeing subjected to flexing when the door is opened and closed; the headsmay be connected to the atmosphere either under the control of the doorbeing open, or by pressing on a button inside or outside the cabinet;

in addition to being used for moving the heads 60 and 62 as in thevariant of FIG. 9, the vacuum delivered by the pump 6 may be used fordriving movement of the doors 50 and 52;

other forms of means 110, 160, and 170 for moving the heads are possibleand may for example comprise actuators, such as an electrical jack;

in a variant that is not shown, the flat gasket 84 or the lip gasket 284of each suction head may include a gasket constituted by an inflatabletube that, when deflated, is easily inserted inside the neck of a bottlewhile the head is moving downwards, and that, once inflated, fits inleaktight manner against the inside periphery of the neck of the bottle;the tube is inflated by providing a fluid flow connection between thetube and a cylindrical chamber having an inside volume that iscompressed by a piston, advantageously a piston driven by the vacuumcoming from the pump 6;

the appliance may also be fitted with a system for neutralizing each ofits heads 60 and 62 so as to enable it to store, in particular at acooled temperature, one or more bottles without evacuating it/them, inparticular bottles that have not yet been opened, it being observed thatit is possible to store such bottles in the appliance 201 without makingany additional arrangements thereto, since it is the user who causes theheads 260 and 262 to move down by acting directly on them;

the vacuum pump 6 and/or motor drive for the doors 50 and 52 or 250 and252 may be controlled, in part or entirely, by detectors for detectingthe presence of bottles 2 and 3 in the corresponding compartments 20 and22 and/or by detectors for detecting the hand of the user coming closeor going away;

it is possible to envisage positioning elements other than the fork 140,such as a defined indentation in the floor wall 18 or 218, such as thedepressions 218A and 218B, or a centering V, etc.;

the Peltier element 34 may be replaced by other refrigerator means, suchas a system using a compressor, a system for circulating cold water, anatmospheric refrigeration system, etc.; in addition, the temperature ofthe cold air obtained by these various refrigerator means may either bepredetermined, in particular depending on whether the bottle of wine forcooling contains a white wine or a red wine, or else it may be set bythe user adjusting a setpoint knob or the like;

generally speaking, the vacuum pump 6 may be replaced by a vacuumsource, such as a vacuum network;

the case 10 or 210 could define only a single storage compartment, andlikewise it could equally well delimit three or even more storagecompartments; and/or

the appliance may incorporate photocells making it possible to recognizeautomatically a red wine or a white wine by the difference intransparency, i.e. not only to detect the presence of the bottle, butalso to adjust the refrigeration temperature setpoint as a function ofthe wine.

1-15. (canceled)
 16. A household appliance for storing at least onebottle containing a beverage and having a neck that is open, such as abottle of wine that has been uncorked and/or consumed in part, theappliance comprising: a vacuum source, at least one suction head forevacuating the bottle, said head defining a suction passage connected tothe vacuum source, a case supporting the at least one suction head inmovable manner, and means for moving the at least one suction head,adapted to guide the at least one suction head mechanically relative tothe case and to press the at least one suction head to bear in leaktightmanner against the neck of the bottle so that its suction passage opensout into the neck when the bottle occupies a predetermined stationaryposition relative to the case.
 17. An appliance according to claim 16,wherein the at least one suction head is provided at its end facingtowards the bottle in its predetermined position, with a frustoconicalsurface adapted to center the at least one suction head and the bottlerelative to each other when the at least one suction head is pressedagainst the neck of the bottle by the means for moving the at least onesuction head.
 18. An appliance according to claim 16, wherein the meansfor moving the at least one suction head comprise at least one slidewayor a sheath for guiding the at least one suction head, permanentlysecured to the case.
 19. An appliance according to claim 16, wherein,for the or each bottle that is to be conserved, the case defines acompartment for storing the bottle in its predetermined position and isfitted with a moving door giving access to said compartment, opening andclosing movements of the door controlling movements or locking/unlockingof the position of a movable portion of the means for moving the atleast one suction head.
 20. An appliance according to claim 19, whereinthe appliance includes a Peltier element having its main body provided,on its cold side, with two fan units associated respectively with twocompartments defined by the case and thermally isolated from each other.21. An appliance according to claim 19, wherein the appliance includes adouble Peltier element having two main bodies that are provided on theirrespective cold sides with respective fan units that are associatedrespectively with two compartments defined by the case and separatedfrom each other by a thermally conductive partition.
 22. An applianceaccording to claim 19, wherein the means for moving the at least onesuction head comprise mechanical means for transmitting movement betweenthe corresponding door and the at least one suction head, adaptedfirstly to drive the head so as to be pressed against the neck of thebottle in its predetermined position when the door is moved to closeaccess to the corresponding compartment, and secondly to drive the atleast one suction head in the opposite direction when the door is movedto open said access.
 23. An appliance according to claim 16, wherein themeans for moving the at least one suction head comprise firstly astationary portion secured to the case and connected to the vacuumsource, and secondly a movable portion for driving the at least onesuction head, being mounted movably in the stationary portion andactuated by the vacuum delivered by the vacuum source.
 24. An applianceaccording to claim 16, wherein the means for moving the at least onesuction head include resilient means interposed directly or indirectlybetween the case and the at least one suction head, said resilient meansbeing adapted to be compressed when the bottle is moved relative to thecase into its predetermined position, so that the resilient means applya resilient compression force on the at least one suction head so as todrive it and press it against the neck of the bottle when said bottleoccupies its predetermined position.
 25. An appliance according to claim16, wherein the means for moving the at least one suction head comprisea housing for housing the at least one suction head and suitable forbeing moved manually relative to the case so as to move the at least onesuction head until it is pressed against the neck of the bottle in itspredetermined position.
 26. An appliance according to claim 25, whereinthe means for moving the at least one suction head further compriseresilient means interposed directly or indirectly between the case andthe housing so as to be tensioned when the housing is driven to move theat least one suction head so as to be pressed against the neck of thebottle.
 27. An appliance according to claim 25, wherein the means formoving the at least one suction head further comprise means for lockingthe housing in a position in which the head is pressed against the neckof the bottle.
 28. An appliance according to claim 16, wherein the casedefines a concave depression on which the bottle stands in itspredetermined position, said depression presenting an axis of revolutionthat substantially coincides with the direction in which the at leastone suction head is guided relative to the case, and presents a centerof curvature situated in the region in which the at least one suctionhead moves.
 29. An appliance according to claim 16, wherein the meansfor moving the at least one suction head include an over-stroke springadapted to accommodate the over-stroke of a movable portion of saidmeans relative to the head when the head is pressed against the neck ofthe bottle.
 30. An appliance according to claim 16, wherein the at leastone suction head includes a main body constrained to move with a movableportion of the means for moving the at least one suction head, and abase for bearing against the neck of the bottle, the base beingassembled to the main body so as to be movable in the direction in whichthe at least one suction head is guided relative to the case, andwherein the suction passage includes two through orifices that aredefined respectively by the main body and the bearing base and that arein fluid flow communication with a valve interposed therebetween, thevalve being adapted both to open the suction passage when the main bodyand the bearing base are pressed in leaktight manner against each other,and to close said suction passage when the main body and the bearingbase are spaced apart from each other in non-leaktight manner.